This new Rivian R1T owner is a well-known fan of electric vehicles. For three years now, he's been eagerly anticipating the arrival of his electric pickup truck. How is it holding up after just two months and 1,500 miles of doing "real-world truck stuff"?
YouTube influencer Jerry Rig Everything says, "Unfortunately something is already broken," though he doesn't elaborate on what that "something" is in the title or video description. Prior to watching the whole video, we assumed it was something minor, and we were interested to learn what it was. That's the point, right? Mention a problem with one of these new EVs and people will flock to the coverage.
Rather than making you wait, we're letting you know early on that the Rivian R1T's automatic tonneau cover broke. It still opens, but when you try to close it, it seems to get stuck. Jerry provides more details about it toward the end of the video.
As you can clearly see from the video, Jerry hasn't been taking it easy on the Rivian electric truck. In fact, the opposite is true, and we'd expect nothing less from Jerry. While the R1T is a very expensive, premium truck that some may hesitate to put through the paces, that's what it's intended for. Rivian has marketed its EVs as Adventure Vehicles since early on, and they're designed with camping, Overlanding, and off-roading in mind.
In addition to Jerry's off-road exploits, he's also been using the R1T for some hardcore towing and hauling. He's had the electric truck's small bed loaded up with all sorts of heavy items, and he pulled a 5,000-pound horse trailer about 80 miles. While two months and 1,500 miles may not seem like much, Jerry says it's more than enough to get a solid idea of the R1T's prowess and durability, especially if you really work the truck hard enough to "break it in."
Jerry says the truck had about 150 miles of range while towing the horse trailer, and it only cost him $7 for the electricity. If you plan on towing a heavy load often and over a long distance, you may have to charge the electric truck more often than you'd hoped. However, for most typical towing use cases, the R1T should likely suffice. The video also goes into more detail about the R1T's tow hitch, regenerative braking, the trailer brake, and other settings related to towing.
As far as the negatives are concerned, Jerry notes that he got a rock chip in the R1T's windshield after just two days of ownership, and the replacement costs $1,600. He does admit that any vehicle is prone to such a chip, and he just filled it with resin to stop the spread.
Other negatives include the lack of a dashcam, lack of proper "pickup truck/sports car" information on the dashboard display, the roof racks are loud (and they were shipped to the wrong address), the doors should be easier to close, and the air suspension often adjusts on its own, which can catch you off guard.
Once you've had a chance to watch the video, start a conversation in the comment section below. Do you agree with Jerry?
